Car-coupling



@No Model.)

4L. GRUNWALD.

GAR OOUPLING.

Patented DB0. 4, `1894.

l uvm/ron @www A TTOHNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LUDWIG GRUNWALD, OF TOLEDO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CHARLES LANG ANDDANIEL FLATH, OF NORWALK, OHIO.

cAR-ooUfELlNG.

Y SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.`530,413, datedDecemberll, 1894.

Application tiled September 27,1894. Serial No. 524,288. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, `LUDWIG. GBUNWALD, of Toledo, in the county of Lucasand State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Car- Coupling, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improved car coupling of the hook and linktype, and has for its objects to provide a novel, simple car coupling ofthe type indicated, which will au` y in which similar figures ofreference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a sectional side view in part of4 one of the improvedcouplings in coupled connection with' the forward portion of a similarfcoupling, the section being taken on line 1-1 l in Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is aplan view in part of two couplings having the improvements. Fig. 3 is areverse plan view of main portions of two couplings having featuresofthe improvement, one coupling being shown in placeon a car frame inpart. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectionalview on theline44= in Fig. 1. Fig.5 is a side view of the main portion of a car coupling having theimprovements, the working parts being adjusted for a coupled connectionwith a similar coupling; and Fig. 6 is an enlarged partly sectionallsideview of a novel coupling link and thedrawbar portion that are parts oftheinvention.

The drawhead 10 comprises an elongated metallic block, which isrectangular in cross section of its body, that is enlarged at theforward end to permit said front portion to be recessed, as shown at 10,in Figs. 1 and 4.

At a proper distance from the front transverse wall of the drawhead 10,a slot 10b is formed in the drawhead body at its transverse center, saidslot being produced in a vertical plane intersecting the upper and lowerwalls of the drawhead. Preferably the slot 10b is formed as shown inFig. 1,having its front wall vertical and its rear wall slopedupwardly.. in

and forwardly, thereby gradually increasing the dimension of the slotlengthwise and from the top to the bottom of the same, this provisionbeing made to facilitate the introduction and free vibration of thedrawbar which will be described.

The drawbar 1l is an elongated billet of metal, proportioned in lengthand other dimensions to afford effective service, its thickupper side ofl. the drawhead, as is shown by dotted lines in Figs. land 5.

`The drawbar 11 is bent so as to allow` its upper portion to projectforwardly a -proper degree when the trunnions 1la are seated in thebottoms of the channels 10c, and on said upper end portion a furcationis produced, affordingA two spaced limbs 11b that are preferably bentoutwardly and then forwardly as isshown in Fig. 2, thus producing an.open link.

On the top wall of the drawhead 10 between the front wall and slot lOljan upwardly and rearwardly curved draft luglOd is formed, the locationand degree of curvature given to said part being such as will allow thefurcated portion of the drawbar 11 to pass freely over the lug when saidbar is rocked on its trunnions so as to depress the limbs 1lb. The endsof the limbs llb are preferably shaped as shown most clearly in Fig.6,`each being" enlarged and recessed on. the outer sides` to permittheintrod uction therein of the rou ndedv ends of a U-shaped draft link12, that ispivoted by said ends tothe recessed ends of the limbs 1lb, asis represented in Fig. 2. The recesses of the limbs l1b are open at thefront to permit a limited vibration of the link 12, as is indicated inFigs. 6 and 7.

The lower side of the drawhead 10 is longitudinally channeled at itstransverse center to receive the pusher bar 13 and permit it to slidefreely. Thebar 13 is substantially IOO rectangular in cross section, andis supported free to slide by the transverse clip plates 14, that aresecured on the lower side of the drawhead, at suitable points for theproper retention of the pusher bar in the longitudinal channel of thedrawhead.

The pusher bar 13 is forwardly pressed by the spiral spring 15, whichhas its rear end connected with the drawhead, and its forward endattached to the rear terminal of the part 13, the expansion of thespring tending to forwardly project the bar when free to do so, and thusadvance the end of said pusher bar a short distance in front of thedrawhead 10, as is shown in Fig. 5.

The pusher bar 13 is reduced in the diame- 4'fer of its body for aproper length as at 13a producing shoulders at each end of said reducedportion, and as is represented bydotted 'lines in Fig. 2, the drawbar 11has its lower end slotted to form forked members, which latter aredesigned to straddle the portion 13EL of the pusher bar when the drawbaris fully inserted in the slot 10".

At one side of a car having the improved car coupling securedthereon,there is a locking bar 16, supported to slide on the car frame Aby suitable boxes 16, as shown in Fig. 3. Said locking bar is projectedtoward the pusher bar 13 at right angles thereto, by a spring 17 thatencircles the locking bar, and has its ends engaged with a collar on thepiece 16 and also with a portion of -the car frame ora piece such as oneof the boXes 16a that is attached to the car frame. The end vof thelocking bar 16 that is adjacent to the pusher bar 13 is made V-shaped toenter a mating notch formed in the side of the pusher bar, the locationof said notch 13b being arranged with regard to the front end of thepusher bar so that the locking bar 16 will only enter the notchmentioned, when the pusher bar is rearwardly slid, thereby removing theprojected end of the pusher bar from in front of the drawhead.

A latch plate 18 or an equivalent locking device, is provided to retainthe locking bar 16 engaged with the pusher bar 13, or hold it withdrawnfrom the latter against the stress of the spring 17. Said plate whenproperly manipulated enters one of its ends in either of the spacednotches 16b formed in the side of the bar 16, which serves to effect thedesired adjustment, the bar 16 having a suitable handle piece formed onits outer end to facilitate its sliding manipulation.

The position of the drawbar 11 indicated in Fig. 5, is assumed when thecoupling is uncoupled, the upward and rearward rocking movement of thecurved upper part of the drawbar, whereon the integral link and pivoteddraft link 12 are located, being manifestly produced by the forwardsliding movement of the pusher bar under stress of the spring 15, theloose engagement of the forked lower end of the drawbar with the rearterminal shoulders of the reduced portion 13,

aiding to effect such a relative adjustment of parts.

When two cars having the improved couplings are to be coupled together,it is essential for the proper operation of the device that the drawbar11 in one drawhead be removed, so as to enable the drawbar in theapproaching coupling to securely couple with the approached drawhead.

The coupling operation is as follows: Assuming that the drawbar 1l is inelevated adj ustment and the pusher bar 13 'forwardly projected, it willbe seen, that the impinge of the two projected pusher bars onapproaching car couplings of the improved construction, will cause thebar 11 to rock downwardly and locate the integral link formed by thelimbs 11b over the draft lug 10d, and at the same time-cause the draftlink 12 to encircle the lug on the adjacent drawhead, as shown in Figs.1 and 2, the limited pivotal movement of said link permitting it toproperly engage with the lug. When draft strain is applied to thecoupled drawheads 10, the peculiar formation of the integral draft linkon the drawbar, and of the pivoted link 12, serves to throw the pullingstrain on these links and on the lugs 10d, the depending portion of thedrawbar being relieved from applied draft force, as it will be seen thatwhen the link 12 is forwardly drawn, the trunnions on the drawbar willslide upwardly in the channels 10C, and permit the upper forked portionof the drawbar where the limbs 11b are produced, to have contact withthe draft lug that is embraced by said limbs. The locking bar 16 is leftin a condition free to be forced toward the pusher bar 13 by the spring17, when a coupling is to be effected between two of the improved carcouplings, so that the impinge of the front ends of the pusher bars oneach other, will move said bars rearwardly, and allow lthe locking barto engage its inner end with the notch in the side of the pusher bar,which being eected, the bar 16 may be secured in a locked condition byan adjustment of the latch plate 18, as before explained.

The recesses 10a in the drawheads 10, shown by full and dotted lines inFig. 1, are provided to aord means for coupling two of the improved carcouplers together with a common link and two pins, the latter beingintroduced in perforations 10e, that are diagonally formed in thedrawheads as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4, this provision being ofservice only in case of accident to parts of the improved couplings, orto couple a drawhead having the improvements, with a common link and pincar coupling.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. The combination with a drawhead, having anintegral draft lug on top near the front, of a drawbar adapted to rockin a slot of the drawhead and forked to embrace said draft IOO IIC)

lug, and a draft link pivoted on the forked limbs of the drawbar toengage a mating draft lug on another drawhead, substantially asdescribed.

2. The combination with a drawhead, vertically slotted near the frontend, and having a draft lug on top curved rearwardly in front of theslot, of a curved drawbar adapted to rock in the vertical slot andhaving its upper end forked to embrace the draft lug, a draft linkpivoted on these forked limbs, and means to rock the drawbar from thefront of the drawhead, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a drawhead, vertically slotted near the frontend, and having a curved draft lug in front of said slot, of a curveddrawbar forked on both ends and pivoted so as to rock and rise in thevertical slot, a draft link pivoted to the forked limbs on the upper endof the drawbar, and a longitudinally extending spring pressed pusher barbelow on the drawhead and loosely engaged by the lower forked end of thedrawbar, substantially as described.

per end of the drawbar, a U -shaped draft link pivoted by its ends inlaterally recessed ends of these forked limbs, a longitudinally slidablepusher bar on the lower side of the drawhead loosely engaged by thelower slotted end of the drawbar, a laterally projected spring pressedlocking bar adapted to engage a notch in the pusher bar, and means tosecure the looking bar in or out of said notch, substan tially asdescribed.

5. The combination with a drawhead, hav ing an upwardly and rearwardlycurved draft lug on top near the front end,and vertically slotted behindsaid lug, the slot having oppo site channels in its sides extending fromabove downwardly and rearwardly, of a curved drawbar having trunnionswhich engage said channels, two forked limbs on the upper end of thedrawbar, which limbs are each openly recessed on their ends at outersides, a U- shaped draft link pivoted in said recesses a forked lowerend on the drawbar, a forwardly spring pressed pusher bar having areduced portion loosely engaged by said forked lower end, and a lockingdevice adapted to retain the pusher bar retracted', substantially asdescribed.

LUDWIG eRUNwALD.

Witnesses: p

' CHRIS FERNER, MAX HENNING.

